“Our Daily Bread” Focuses on Food Traditions

MJ's Brass Boppers lead a Second Line to CounterPULSE Theater. Photos: Van Nguyen-Stone of Jomi Jomi

Amara Tabor-Smith knows how to throw a party. I know this because I’ve taken her dance classes at Rhythm and Motion, housed now at the ODC Dance Commons in San Francisco, for almost 20 years. It might be early in the morning but there’s a feel-good groove going on in that dance studio. The Oakland-based choreographer and performer has created a tight community, it’s a bit like going to church, if church is a place where you shake your booty, swivel your hips, and stamp your feet. Tabor-Smith’s energy, spirit, and modern dance moves have inspired legions of fans.

So it’s no surprise then that Tabor-Smith hosted a soiree featuring movement, music, and food on Tuesday in honor of both the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and Mardi Gras.

The event, dubbed an Eat-In, kicked off with a three-block Second Line featuring authenticly festive NOLA beats by MJ’s Brass Boppers. The Second Line started at the corner of 8th and Mission Streets and snaked its way to CounterPULSE, a non-profit performance space for emerging artists and cultural innovators where Tabor-Smith is currently an artist-in-residence.

Home-style cooking at the Eat-In hosted by Amara Tabor-Smith at CounterPULSE on Tuesday.

The meal was pot-luck and appropriately home-style. Rice, beans, salad, and Tabor-Smith’s trademark Jamaican-style Coconut Cornbread, which features buttermilk and shredded coconut, accompanied her Recession Roots Stew. A fellow dance student, Claire Bobrow, had whipped up a pile of crepes in honor of Fat Tuesday and adults and children were happily slathering them with Nutella.

Among the attendees spreading the gospel of good food: Nikki Henderson, executive director of People’s Grocery, and Dannae Washington, who helps runs the West Oakland food justice and education group’s Grub Box program. Also on hand: Chef Bryant Terry, author of Vegan Soul Kitchen and co-author of Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, whom Tabor-Smith collaborated with on “Visceral Feast.” Chowing down in the crowd: Students from Mission High School and Pie Ranch youth worker Mary Ann Brooks, who helps these teens make healthy connections within the food system.

“Our Daily Bread” is billed as a program of dance, text, and video that examines food traditions and how they’re linked to cultural identity — and impacted by industrialized agriculture, fast food culture, and the global food crisis. How do you, for instance, recreate your mother’s gumbo when fish stocks are threatened and some species contain dangerously high levels of toxins?

And the thinking behind the community gatherings leading up to the performance premiere?

“These events are about sharing food, coming together, cooking together, and eating together, which is something most of us don’t do enough of these days,” says Tabor-Smith, who also teaches at UC Berkeley. “We’re at a time when food has been exotified and people focus on restaurant dining. But there’s nothing more beautiful than sharing a home-cooked meal together.”

It looks so cool, but the fuddy-duddy in me wonders… were you able to eat those tomatoes after the performance? Hope food didn’t go to waste!Casey@Good. Food. Stories.´s last [type] ..CC’s Modern Stone-Age Attempts at Paleo Baking

Every time I read this blog, I think, “Man, that Sarah Henry goes to the coolest places and events. I really must move across the country just so we can hang out.” I love this eat-in idea (and those photographs are amazing!). I enjoy hosting potlucks (perhaps because I usually end up with the leftovers ;), but none of mine have been quite this interesting.Steph Auteri´s last [type] ..Having Trouble Defining Your Specialty How To Determine What Makes You An Original

That looked pretty awesome stuff. I remember watching a great play many years ago at the Edinburgh Fringe, think it was called Fragile, was about eating disorders. Powerful and provocative.Jon´s last [type] ..A Review Of Flat Stomach Advice